Taking Care of You

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Vitamin D - Reigning King of the Vitamin Alphabet!

The nation’s top scientific advisory panel recommends that adults should increase their intake of vitamin D, commonly known as the “sunshine vitamin”. It seems no matter where you turn these days, literature and reports on the growing importance of vitamin D to our health are enormous, stressing that much of the population suffers from a serious deficiency. I remember when vitamin D was merely considered that ‘extra vitamin’ listed alongside the grandstanding B’s and C’s on the bottle, 400 mg seemingly included as a gentle addition whose true function was fuzzy at best. Something about bones and teeth ….

New research has expanded our knowledge of vitamin D’s usage by the body, with numerous studies showing that supplementation has positive effects on bone mineralization in children, adolescents, and even the developing fetus. Insufficient vitamin D during pregnancy influences the bone growth of the offspring and their risk of osteoporosis in later life.

Strengthening bones is only one of the many important things this amazing nutrient does. Massive amounts of research have concluded the health benefits of vitamin D extend to at least 100 types of disease, with the strongest evidence for many types of cancer (breast, colon, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate and rectal), cardiovascular disease, type 1 and 2 diabetes, respiratory infections such as the flu and pneumonia, and recently, multiple sclerosis. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that adults with the lowest vitamin D levels were most likely to experience cognitive decline with age, and adequate baseline blood levels of vitamin D in overweight patients beginning a diet program helped predict weight loss success. The Vitamin D Council, which reports their findings on vitamin D deficiency and its numerous associated diseases, has stated that human behavior, specifically the sun avoidance of our modern lifestyle, is a predominant factor influencing the rise we see in vitamin D deficiency today. While warnings of cancer risk from excessive UVB exposure still proliferate, these rays are ironically the same ‘sun beams’ that act on melanin in human skin to produce vitamin D in the body.

So, how does the health minded consumer cope with this dilemma? Dietitians and doctors agree that in order to reap the full benefits from vitamin D, additional supplementation is required. The old standard ‘recommended daily allowance’ of 400 – 600 IUs is now deemed woefully below par. However, controversy still reigns in the medical community over RDA. While some members of the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) weigh in with a 2000 IU daily dose for optimal health, the Vitamin D Council and increasingly more research studies are showing that even this amount might border on insufficient. Some findings have reported that a safe upper limit of vitamin D consumption for children 4 – 8 years old is 3,000 IU daily, and for those of us over the ripe old age of 8, 4000 IU should be considered the new standard.

Vitamin D is naturally present in very few foods, and even diets rich in fortified dairy products, fatty fish, eggs, and organic meats require additional supplementation with this vitamin. In conclusion, health professionals recommend testing for vitamin D levels in order to establish a baseline of sufficiency, and will often suggest an increased dosage if you are lacking in this critical nutrient.